21–40 of 2,219 results
Crab Nebula

Explore the Night with Bob King

The Night I Met the Crab Pulsar

An account of my journey to the heart of one of most violent cosmic explosions witnessed on Earth. Plus, there's a bright supernova now visible in a Virgo Cluster galaxy.

Moon passing Saturn, Jan. 13-14, 2024

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 12 – 21

The evening Moon passes Saturn, then Jupiter. Venus and Mercury march in lockstep in the eastern dawn. Capella, as always, paces Orion's bright foot. And who's winning the Sirius-Betelgeuse race?

Bright Geminid meteor over Tucson

Meteors

The Best Meteor Showers in 2024

The beloved Perseid meteor shower of the August vacation season will evade the moonlight in 2024, at least during the best early morning meteor-watching hours. The Lyrids and Geminids aren't so lucky.

Jupiter under Aries, early January 2024

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 5 – 14

How does the Sirius-Procyon balance, newly risen, tilt for you? Depends on your latitude! Meanwhile, Triangulum and Aries teeter in balance on Jupiter.

Geminids and aurora

Celestial Objects to Observe

Catch Luyten's Star and the Quadrantid Meteor Shower

Relish the slow, steady pace of nearby Luyten's Star then switch things up with speedy meteors from a well-timed shower.

Venus-Mercury-Mars-Moon in January 2024

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

January Podcast: A Busy Start to 2024

If you’ve resolved to do more stargazing in the New Year, then 2024 will start you off with a bang! As told in this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast, you can look forward to some excellent celestial events.

Venus, Antares, and Mercury in the eastern dawn, Dec. 30, 2023

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 29 – January 5

Scintillating Sirius rises ever earlier to scintillate in colors. The Quadrantid meteors in the Thursday-morning dark are well timed for Eastern North America. Two triangle constellations stack over Jupiter.

Moon nearly first quarter

Night Sky Sights

Getting Started with Your New Telescope

How to start successfully with a new telescope — a guide to what you need to know, how to set it up, and things you can start finding with it in tonight's sky.

Gibbous Moon and Jupiter, Dec. 21-22, 2023

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 22 – 31

Christmas week this year puts the late-night Moon at the highest overhead you'll ever see it. High Jupiter lights the evening. Venus is the bright "star" lower in the east at dawn.

Jupiter, Ganymede, Europa and double shadows, March 25, 2019

Celestial Objects to Observe

Watch Jupiter's Moons in Unusual Lineups

You'll have five opportunities in the coming months to see Jupiter's moons in interesting alignments.

Crescent Moon passing Saturn at dusk, Dec. 17, 2023

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 15 – 24

The waxing Moon passes Saturn, jumps over Jupiter, then jumps the Pleiades. Sirius and Procyon rise earlier, but the Summer Triangle still hangs on.

Vesta and Orion

Celestial News & Events

Vesta Sets Sail Across Orion

Look who's visiting this winter in Orion: Vesta, a bright asteroid with a dark side.

Geminids 2020

Explore the Night with Bob King

Get Ready to Greet the Geminid Meteor Shower!

The year's most spectacular meteor shower is upon us. Prepare to enjoy the Geminids under a dark, moonless sky, when you might see more than 100 meteors per hour.

Moon passing Venus at dawn, Dec 9-10, 2023

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 8 – 17

The best meteor shower of the year peaks late Wednesday night. And if you're not positioned to see the tiny asteroid occult Betelgeuse Monday evening, watch by livestream!

Bright Venus and much fainter Spica in early dawn, Dec. 2, 2023 dawn,

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 1 – 9

These moonless evenings open up the deep sky. For many of us the viewing is especially crisp through the low-humidity December air. The Big Dipper lies low, Cassiopeia stands high, and the Andromeda Galaxy crosses the zenith.

Auriga Taurus Gemini and Orion

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

December Podcast: A Tower of Brilliant Stars

This month’s Sky Tour podcast introduces you to a “tower of brilliance” in the eastern evening sky, along with tips for finding four planets and watching mid-December’s impressive Geminid meteor shower.

Moon passing Jupiter, Nov. 24-25, 2023

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 24 – December 3

This Tuesday the 28th we will see the Moon rise in twilight as far north as it possibly can. Do you know why?

Babylonian clay tablet recording eclipses

Eclipses

How Did the Ancients Predict Eclipses? The Saros Cycle

Before the advent of computers or even a working theory of the solar system, the ancients predicted solar eclipses. How did they do it?

Titania from Voyager 2

Occultations

Watch Uranus's Moon Titania Cover a Star Monday Night

Observers across much of the U.S. and Canada have a unique opportunity Monday night, November 20–21, to see Uranus's brightest moon occult a star.

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 17 – 26

The bright gibbous Moon this week passes Saturn, then Jupiter, inviting telescopes of all sizes. And as winter approaches, Orion rises earlier and earlier.